Noise Management

Last year I had a difficult time managing the noise level in my classroom. I hate to complain about it because I'm a loud person. But when you have 20/28 kids who are "loud people" it makes it difficult to get things done.

I read a lot of education blogs and found this fantastic website over at 5th Grade Rocks, 5th Grade Rules.

This is an awesome website that allows the students to see how loud they are by watching how high/crazy the balls bounce. The louder you are, the higher the balls bounce. I will definitely be using this in my classroom this school year and  shining it up on the scree {via epson} so the kids can see how loud they are when working with partners or groups.

Have you used this in your classroom before? Was it successful?

VistaPrint: Post cards

Today I'm sharing with you my favorite VistaPrint product. I'm pretty sure you will understand after I show you most of the creations I've made. Please remember I can't take 100% credit for all of these. VistaPrint gives you a lot of layout designs and you just plug in the info!

Most of these postcards have a front and a back, but a few I chose front side only. All of the postcards also come with envelopes!!

Missing Assignment Postcards

 Note Home

Student of the Month

Conferences

These are my favorite!! So helpful around conference time. I usually send them home with the students.

 Thank You

Absent from school?

Student Information Cards for me

{quicker reference than looking on the server}

Welcome Note

Birthday Wishes

Non-Educational Postcards

Save-the-Dates that went out to people from out of town. Most of our family out of town new about the wedding so we didn't want to spend too much on STDs

These were so wonderful to have at our wedding! I put a few of these on every table. We were asking that if people take pictures with their own cameras, that they upload the pictures to photobucket so everyone could see. It was very cool!

Bridal Shower

This was an invite not a postcard

Made on Photoshop and uploaded to VP

Baby Shower

Made on Photoshop and uploaded to VP

One of my first VP creations...not to creative!

Graduation Party Invite

As you can see, postcards can be used for SO many different creations both in and out of the classroom. I'm excited to hear how you would use them!

Blog hoppin'

Joining my first blog hop over at Grade Three is the Place for Me! {How cute is that title?!}

Anyways, there are a lot of great blogs linked up so go check them out!

what state you are in?

The Buckeye State!

{Ohio if you didn't know}

    your current teaching position

Next year I will be teaching 5th grade. 

    your teaching experience

This will be my first year teaching 5th grade. Prior to this, I taught 4th grade for four years. In the beginning I didn't really like 4th grade but I really grew to love it. I am nervous about going up but excited to work with the same kiddos and a different group of teachers. {I had a wonderful 4th grade team to work with and I know 5th grade will be great too}

    4.  when you started blogging

I started this blog a few years ago, but it kind of fell apart. I started grad school and was super busy with that for three years. Now that grad school is over {yay!} I can get back to this and enjoy blogging!

    5.  share a blogging tip / blogging resource

Blog about things you love or things that do and even don't work for you. I love reading about organization and new ideas for the classroom. I hope to share the good, bad, and the ugly with you from my classroom and experiences. 

I adore Pinterest and get a TON of ideas from there.

Subway Art for the classroom

I adore subway art. I have one proudly displayed in my home 365 days of the year that changes for every season or special occasion. Recently, I have found some great subway art on Pinterest. I loved this school art so much that I decided to make one of my own using words that represent my own school!

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And my favorite...my own artwork...

*note: school name was taken off for privacy*

If you're interested in a specialized subway art for your own school, please contact me for more information at FTDOBlog@gmail.com

Oh, How Pinteresting!

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I made something like this for my social studies standards and it helps so much!!

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Super smart!! I must use this!

VistaPrint: Business Cards

I have an unhealthy relationship with VistaPrint. Literally we are BFFs. I don't know how I would survive without it. The teachers at school would laugh at me because I would always bring in items I made from VP. Then they started using it too. Let's just say they haven't teased me about it since!

Over the next few weeks I'm going to share with you some great teaching and non-teaching tools that I have made using VistaPrint.

I love getting a good deal and boy can you find them here! I think the most I've ever spend was $20 and that was because I paid for my own upload and quicker shipping. I usually checkout for less than $5 and often times it's all free {plus shipping}!

Today I'm starting with Business Cards. I use them for business and for other creative things!

This creation is based off of the Expanding Expression Tool (EET) that we use throughout the school. It's an amazing tool and is very helpful to our students, especially in their writing. I took the pictures of each of the beads and put them on a business card. Each student stapled a card into their writing notebook and took one home. I highly suggest you check out the EET website!

The Desk Fairy comes to my class about once a month. She usually leaves a piece of candy or a ticket. The kids LOVE the desk fairy and always ask when she is coming back. The desk fairy and I are not the best communicators, so I never know when she will be back!

One of my teammates always made fun of my love for VP (in a nice way). So one year for her birthday I went VP crazy and basically got her one of everything. She is our 4th grade team math teacher, so I thought the turtle with the bar graph was appropriate.

Not only do I use VP for school but I also use it for the piano lessons I teach. It's great to have some cards with me and set them out at local stores (after I ask) or hang them on boards in restaurants in town.

Next up: postcards!

From the desk of...

From the desk of blog is back and better than ever! Get ready for some new creative posts all about the classroom.

Remember: if there is anything you want to specifically read about or if you want to write a post for this blog, please email me at FTDOblog@gmail.com


ps. Don't forget to grab my button!!